From: IsraelP Subject: Genealogy #81 Reply-to: IsraelP@pikholz.org Date: Sun, 13 Apr 2014 23:13:08 +0300 Dear Cousins, When I wrote before Rosh Hashana (#79), I reported some new records involving, among others, the Pikholz family from Husiatyn and the Zellermayer-Pikholz family of Podwoloczysk. In fact, I mentioned them in successive paragraphs. I am now beginning to believe that there is some connection between those two families and I blogged on the subject about a month ago in a piece I called "The Dead Man in the Zellermayer House." (You can read it at http://allmyforeparents.blogspot.co.il/2014/03/the-dead- man-in-zellermayer-house.html ) We have three marriages between the Pikholz and Zellermayer families and I think that at least one of them involves the Husiatyn Pikholz family. While I was writing about this a few days ago for my Hebrew holiday summary, something struck me about the Husiatyn family that I had not really paid attention to before and I think it will bring another of our small families into the larger family structure. If this is correct - and I don't know if it can be proven - it will give us the first actual living descendants in the Husiatyn family. If it pans out, I'll tell you about it. A curious 1888 birth record turned up in Czernovitz a couple of weeks ago. A child named Salomon was born to Moses Genser and Mirl Pikholz. From the index, I had no idea who that was, but the actual record identifies Mirl's parents as Leibisch and Sara Kreisel Pikholz of Skalat. Not only do we know this couple as the head of the MATI family, but we have seen Mirl herself, going to the United States in 1893, marrying someone else and having three American children. I am in touch with a granddaughter in Califormia. So apparently Mirl - or Minnie as she was called in the US - had a previous marriage, which produced a a son. The son died after only a few months and I am not sure what became of the husband Moses Genser. In any event, Mirl/Minnie was born in Skalat, had her first child in Czernovitz, but reported her residence as Skalat when she went to the US. I wonder if she had any other children with Moses Genser, perhaps someplace other than Czernovitz. In preparation for the course in Practical Genetics for Genealogists in Pittsburgh in July, they suggested three books. One was by a fellow named Richard Hill who got into genealogy years ago in an effort to find, or at least identify, his birth parents. His parents didn't tell him he was adopted until he was in his thirties. He did a lot of standard genealogy research over many years and found the family of his birth mother, as well as a half-brother. He also determined that his birth father was one of five brothers and at this point he turned to DNA testing. All five brothers were dead, but had sons who were willing to test and it almost became a competition over who would get this new brother. Eventually, DNA testing preferred one of the brothers, who was said to be a 89% certain match. No other brother was a better than 60% chance. SPOILER ALERT. But 89% is not 100% and 60% is not zero. They did additional testing some time later and it turned out that the 60% brother was in fact the author's father. (As I like to say, if there is an 85% chance that something is correct, then there is a 15% change that it is 100% wrong.) So why am I telling you this story? Our Pikholz testing is very sparse. In some family lines no one has tested at all. In most, only one or two people have tested. We need more people to test. Many have said they would but haven't. Others have simply not replied to my direct requests. At this point, if I had to choose between a test in a line that has not tested at all and one where we have one or two, I'd prefer the line that is already in play. With maybe one exception. This does not mean that I can answer the question "If I test, what exactly will that prove?" So please, friends and cousins, if you are thinking about testing but haven't yet - do so. And if you haven't thought about it, please give it some consideration. For most of you, what I want is the $99 Family Finder test which can be ordered at https://www.familytreedna.com/family-finder-compare.aspx . It's a simple do- it-yourself cheek swab and if you wish you needn't even use your real name. For those so inclined, we have a fund at FTDNA to help cover costs and you can contribute to it at http://www.familytreedna.com/group-general-fund- contribution.aspx?g=Pickholtz Although we have not had additional participation from within, we have had more non-Pikholz who match half or more of us and I have blogged about some of these in the past few months. It appears to me that we share common ancestors with these folks not long before the adoption of surnames in eastern Europe. Since we do not have traditional records for most of that period, we need to rely more on the genetic record. Of course, the fact that Jews married among their own for so many generations means that we are connected to one another in multiple ways. I hope to be able to learn enough in the course in Pittsburgh to enable me to make more sense of the matches we have. There doesn't seem to much expertise on endogamous populations. .The program committee for the Salt Lake City Conference ran a few weeks behind schedule so we were not informed whether our lecture proposals were accepted until last week. (And they still have not announced who is speaking when.) My proposal "Beyond a Doubt: What We Know vs. What We Can Prove" was approved. I gave a talk by that name three years ago, and afterwards several times here in Israel. I'll be making some changes and updates. I shall also be participating in a panel discussion entitled "Internet Collaboration: How Do We Share Our Family Trees Online?" That sounds rather bland, but it has the potential to generate some fireworks. When it comes to the companies who host peoples' online family trees and try to combine them based on various algorithms with the help of "curators," passions can run high. I discussed my own strong reservations at http://allmyforeparents.blogspot.co.il/2013/12/genealogy-as-quilting-bee.html a few months ago. My summer travel plans are to arrive in Baltimore for some family visits 14 July, continuing to Pittsburgh either Friday or Sunday (visiting four family cemeteries on the way, including the Pikholz descendant - from the IRENE family - in Johnstown), a week in Pittsburgh for the course and then the conference in Salt Lake City. Two Shabbatot I'll be in Chicago. Let me wish you all a happy, kosher and meaningful Pesach. As the month of Nisan saw our redemption from ancient bondage, so may the month of Nisan bring redemption in our own days. Israel P. -- End --